CH250 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Phenylalanine, Zwitterion, Heterocyclic Compound
Document Summary
Biochemistry- the study of the chemistry if living organisms, especially the structure and function of their chemical component. Sense & response to change in environment. Much more complex mixtures if thousands of chemical molecules that are highly organized. Water is one of the essential molecules for life. Without water, there can be no life as we understand it. Water makes up ~70% if the mass of the human body. Solvent for most molecules in living organisms. Drives the arrangement of biological macromolecules into structures critical for their function. Most biochemical reactions occur in an aqueous environment. Solid water (ice) is a crystal of water molecules oriented tetrahedrally to maximize the # of h-bonds. Creates an open structure less dense than liquid water. Liquid water consists of small networks of h-bonded molecules. Each water molecule h-bonds on average 3. 4 other molecules and bonds are distorted. Networks are constantly forming and reforming in liquid water.
